from the dress-to-impress dept

At some point, it might become useful for Facebook to release some data on exactly how many dumb criminals have been brought to justice via some aspect of the social media giant. For reasons I can't fathom, it seems like we see this all the time. Criminals share the police station's status update implicating themselves. Fraternities vomit their crimes all over their Facebook pages. Fugitives from the law occasionally post pictures from their vacations, alerting police to their exact whereabouts. It's a brave and utterly stupid new world out there for criminals and they're just not handling it well.

Police say 27-year-old Danielle Saxton stole from a downtown boutique last week. Then, she posted pictures of herself wearing the merchandise. Investigators say Saxton shared the pics just a few hours after the theft. The images quickly spread on Facebook, and led officers straight to her. Police say the pictures are evidence of shoplifting committed by Saxton. The theft happened at Mortie's Boutique in West Frankfort, where multiple items disappeared last Friday.

It takes a special brand of hubris to put stolen property on display in this manner. Why not just steal the Hope Diamond and dangle it from your ear like the world's most obnoxious earing? The shop's owner, Kert Williams, had security cameras on the premises and posted about the theft on the shop's own social media page. The enterprising, facebook-ing public did a Perry Mason and alerted the authorities, who picked Saxton up for theft. An arrest she feels is grossly unjust, mind you, with some rather impressive reasoning.

“Her excuse was there was nobody in here. We were in the back working, and that she could just take it. You know, not really much of an excuse there,” Williams told News 3.

Well, no, it isn't much of an excuse, but we're not dealing with Carl Sagan here, if you take my meaning. Enjoy those court dates, Danielle. Try not to wear any stolen merchandise to the courthouse, mmkay?

Re: Going by that logic...

Dumb thieves

Girl at work had A/C unit stolen from house. Couple heard about it, came by when no one was there, talked about how terrible it was, peeked in her windows, helped themselves to some stuff on her deck. She caught it all on security cam. Posted it on facebook, asking for help IDing the cretins.

They called within the day crying, begging her to take the video down. Brought her stuff back.